


Help at Midnight

by roguelightning



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-05 14:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12796524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roguelightning/pseuds/roguelightning
Summary: After getting shot, Helen has trouble undressing. Nikola offers to help.





	Help at Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this because of a request from teslacriss, based on a tumblr prompt. It went something like "Person A of your OTP is wounded and has trouble getting dressed. Regardless if they are a couple or not, person B offers to help." or something like that.

Helen couldn’t help wincing in pain as she sat on her bed. It clearly wasn’t the first time she got shot, and it probably wasn’t going to be the last, but it was still an inconvenience. Luckily, she had been able to get the bullet out and clean the wound well enough, but it didn’t mean she would be able to use her right hand normally anytime soon.

Nikola had always had a certain talent of sneaking in. It was probably part of his vampire genetics, but Helen knew him well enough to render this sort of trick useless. So, when he entered her bedroom, without bothering to knock- lately he seemed to decide that it wasn’t necessary anymore- she wasn’t really surprised.

“Where is the guy who did this to you?” He asked, his tone cold as ice. She didn’t need to turn around to know that his eyes were probably dark with anger.

“In a much worse state than I am, I assure you.” Helen replied. “No need to worry.”

“I always worry.” Nikola muttered. “I just happened to walk by your door and I heard you scream in pain and well. I figured I should check on you.”

“I barely winced, Nikola.” Her tone was half cold and half amused.

“Vampire hearing, remember?”

“Is this how you call eavesdropping on my bedroom door now?” She challenged him. It had been more likely a case of him going to bed and deciding to stop by her door because he didn’t have anything better to do. She didn’t want to consider the possibility of him waiting for her to come back from her mission, worried sick that she might not come back in one piece. No. That would have meant they were much closer than any of them could afford at the moment.

“Maybe?” Nikola grinned and she couldn’t help a smile despite herself. “Well, I’m fine. I will be fine at least. So you can go back to whatever you were doing.”

“Nonsense. Let me help.” He offered. “You need to change your clothes, Helen, and you’re not exactly in the shape for that.”

“Are you offering to undress me?” Helen asked and he was pleased to see she was a lot less appalled at the thought than he would have expected.

“Why not? We’re friends.” He offered. “Plus, I used to be pretty good at this. Remember?” He challenged her and she had to mentally kick herself to get rid of the images that were conjured in her head. Damn him. This had used to be much easier back when she had pretended not to remember Vienna and all that had happened there. Especially the way he had looked at her, pure awe in his eyes for one second and then just hunger, right before he- No. Not going there, she decided as she grabbed his wrist, stopping him from undoing more than one button of her shirt.

“I want my clothes in one piece this time, Nikola.” She warned and he let out a small sigh at that. “You’re such a buzzkill. Have it your way. I can do slow too.” He said and she was grateful for that. What she didn’t expect was that apparently his idea of slow meant him taking his time with each button of her shirt, his brow furrowed as he exposed more and more of her skin. It was something enticing in the way his fingers played with her buttons, hovering over her skin but not touching, not really, which in all honesty did nothing to help her stop the butterflies that were swarming in her stomach. So he could still do that to her. That was probably not the best moment to realize that, not when, after he finished unbuttoning her shirt, he helped her out of it, his fingers caressing her sides upwards, his touch light as a feather as he reached her shoulders and eased the shirt off her, taking extra care not to touch her wound too much.

“Turn around.” He whispered, his voice low and heavy with desire. “Your bra, Helen.” He explained. “You don’t sleep with that on.”

“And how do you know that?” She snapped, her tone much harsher than she would have intended.

“I have a pretty good memory.” He said with a grin. “Besides, if you think I forgot even one second of that night… Then I’m sorry to say but you don’t know me at all.”

“Well maybe I’ve changed my tastes.” She challenged, but he was having none of it. “Some of them, maybe. But not this.” He said as he leaned closer to her, his lips impossibly close to her neck. His fingers found the clasp of her bra and undid it. She was fully exposed to him now, and she couldn’t help enjoying the effect that had on him. His eyes were almost black, roaming up and down her body as he licked his lips. Despite her best interests, she found herself leaning on her left arm, exposing her neck to him, a move that clearly didn’t go unnoticed.

“You know, it’s funny.” He said, trying to keep an even tone. “I didn’t realize how cold it was in here.” He added with a smirk as his eyes landed on her pert nipples. She was probably deliciously wet now, he mused, his own insides tightening as he remembered what she had tasted like on his tongue. But this was not the time to dwell on this. So he picked up her blouse and lifted it so she could ease her way inside, her head first and then each of her arms, his touch on her skin almost reverent as he helped her inside the sleeves.

“Well, you’re all set then.” He said with regret. “Call me if you need help with anything else.” His lips found her neck and placed heated kisses on her collarbone, just above her wound. “And I do mean, anything.” He whispered over her skin, not missing the way her breath hitched at that.

“As I said, you’ve kept some of your old tastes.” He said with a smirk.

“I’m not blind, Nikola.” Helen sighed. “Whether I am or not attracted to you was never the question.”

“Really, now?” He asked as he pulled her closer, his lips hot on her neck again, right above her pulse point. “What was it, then?”

“The question was if that alone was enough to justify the trouble.” She was especially proud of herself for managing to sound so rational under the circumstances. His tongue moved up her neck, stopping just below her earlobe, and she had to dig her fingers into the sheets to keep herself from moaning.

“And is it enough?” If she did not know him so well, she would have missed the uncertainty in his voice.

“No.” She said with a smile as she turned around from him and laid her head on the pillow. She saw him grow completely still, the light in his eyes lost as he watched her from above. The change was visible in his eyes as he went from anger to sadness and then resignation in a matter of seconds.

“That _alone_ wasn’t enough.” She clarified. “But you’d be surprised to know how much falling in love with you helps.” She said as she turned off the light, curling in a small ball on the bed, her back at him.

“What?” It took him exactly 214 seconds to reply to her, even if she would have rather died than admitting she counted. Maybe he was starting to rub off on her a lot more than she would have expected.

“Good night, Nikola.” She whispered in the dark, a sort of finality in her voice. She half expected him to leave at that, but instead he kicked off his shoes and lay next to her, his arms pulling her closer to him.

“I’ll so hold you to this tomorrow, just so you know.” He said as she cuddled closer to him, letting his warmth engulf her. She couldn’t help a smile at his words. He knew her too well, after all. Tomorrow sounded good. Tomorrow she would worry about what her confession meant to them, and about the implications of it. For now, she was going to enjoy having him deliciously close to her, his heartbeat a comforting lullaby to put her to sleep.


End file.
